PTSD Elderly War Veterans: A Clinical Controlled Pilot Study
- 1 February 2010
- journal article
- Published by Mary Ann Liebert Inc in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
- Vol. 13 (1), 43-48
- https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2009.0237
Abstract
Around 25,000 war veterans in Portugal suffer posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This clinically controlled study evaluates virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) as an alternative procedure to reduce PTSD symptoms. Ten patients were assigned to three groups: VRET, exposure in imagination (EI), and waiting list (WL). The patients were Portuguese veterans from a series of wars fought in former African colonies more than 30 years ago. While the EI group participated in traditional imagination therapy, the VRET group was exposed to a virtual reality (VR) war scenario. Cues such as ambush, mortar blasting, and waiting for rescue were used in the VR. Patients enrolled in the VRET group showed statistical reduction of PTSD-associated disorders like depression and anxiety. Far from being conclusive, this pilot study nonetheless presents some promising data on the use of VRET on old war veteran populations.Keywords
This publication has 18 references indexed in Scilit:
- Virtual reality exposure therapy using a virtual Iraq: Case reportJournal of Traumatic Stress, 2008
- Psychosocial Treatments for Posttraumatic Stress DisorderPublished by Oxford University Press (OUP) ,2007
- The neuropsychology of fear learning and fear regulationInternational Journal of Psychophysiology, 2005
- Prevalence, Severity, and Comorbidity of 12-Month DSM-IV Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey ReplicationArchives of General Psychiatry, 2005
- Combat Duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mental Health Problems, and Barriers to CareThe New England Journal of Medicine, 2004
- Interaction and presence in the clinical relationship: virtual reality (VR) as communicative medium between patient and therapistIEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine, 2002
- The VEPSY Updated Project: Virtual Reality in Clinical PsychologyCyberPsychology & Behavior, 2001
- Virtual reality in the treatment of claustrophobic fear: A controlled, multiple-baseline designBehavior Therapy, 2000
- A controlled study of virtual reality exposure therapy for the fear of flying.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2000
- Lifetime and 12-Month Prevalence of DSM-III-R Psychiatric Disorders in the United StatesArchives of General Psychiatry, 1994